Colby College: Ecology of New England
This non-majors science course was designed to give the students a look into the cultural impacts of Native Americans and European settlers in New England. We dived into topics such as disease, fisheries, agriculture, local flora and fauna, silviculture practices, geology and paleoecology, hunting, and classical New England natural historians. Fridays were super exciting because that's when the students took control of discussion and presented primary scientific literature to their classmates. Our labs took us to the Maine State Museum in Augusta, as well as the archives and library for our class research assignment on the Ecology and History of the Kennebec River. In addition, students and I toured the Governor Hill fish hatchery, met with local foresters and sugar maple farmers, took tours of a cranberry bog in Turner, ME, and throwing an atlatl and digging through shell midden remnants at the L.C. Bates Museum. Our class culminated with a trip to Dave Cote's taxidermy shop for a lesson on hunting and trapping as well as the role of taxidermy and sporting in Maine (it was such a big hit in VNH we had to visit w/ them again!).